Good Morning! On this day in 1926, Luling oilman Edgar Byram Davis threw a free barbecue for friends, associates, and employees to celebrate the sale of his leases to Magnolia Petroleum in what may have been the biggest oil deal in Texas up to that time. Over 15,000 people attended.
A Dallas philanthropist surprised his wife by publishing the spy thriller she wrote more than 50 years ago. Check out today’s Et Cetera section for the story.
We’re sponsored today by GoldCo. Get your free 2025 retirement savings protection kit from them today.
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Anti-ICE Protesters Arrested in Austin, Dallas
More than a dozen anti-ICE protesters were arrested in downtown Austin Monday night, and at least one person was detained during a demonstration in Dallas.
A large crowd gathered at the Capitol around 7 p.m. and marched to the J.J. Pickle Federal Building, which ICE uses as a holding facility for detainees. The building was vandalized with pink paintballs and messages like “ICE Needs 2 Surrender & Release the Hostages.”
Protesters dragged scooters into the streets and knocked down construction barriers. Department of Public Safety troopers used pepper balls and CS gas to disperse the crowd several times throughout the evening.
Man Allegedly Spikes Girlfriend’s Drink with Abortion Pill
Justin Banta, 38, a North Texas man who works in IT for the Department of Justice, is accused of causing his pregnant girlfriend to miscarry her baby after allegedly spiking her drink with an abortion pill.
The woman reportedly told Banta about her pregnancy in September, insisting she wanted to deliver the baby after Banta suggested abortion. An Oct. 17 prenatal appointment indicated the baby “had a strong heartbeat, displayed good vital signs, and was said to be healthy by her doctor.”
She met Banta at a coffee shop later that day. Surveillance footage reportedly shows her drinking the entire beverage Banta ordered for her. She experienced “extreme fatigue and heavy bleeding” the next day and lost her baby on Oct. 19.
Banta allegedly admitted to ordering an abortion pill for the woman during an interview with police, and he’s accused of remotely resetting his phone after he handed it over. He was booked into the Parker County Jail on Friday and released after posting bonds of $520,000.
STAAR End-of-Course Test Results Released
The Texas Education Agency released the spring 2025 results from the five mandated high school end-of-course assessments yesterday. The scores showed modest year-over-year gains in Algebra I and Biology and slight declines in English I, English II, and U.S. History.
The percentage of students who met grade-level standards in Algebra I increased from 45% to 47%, still far below the 62% who did so prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Biology, 62% of students met grade-level standards, up from 57% last year and on par with the 63% who did so in 2019.
The percentage of students who met grade-level standards in English I and English II dropped 3% and 4%, respectively, but both sets of scores—51% and 56%—were higher than those in 2019.
In U.S. History, 68% of students met grade level standards, down from 69% last year and 75% in 2019. The results for third through eighth grade STAAR assessments will be released next week.
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The Treasury Fired a Warning Shot
If you’re retired or plan to retire, circle August 1st on your calendar with a fat red marker.
That’s when the trouble begins. As soon as August 1st, 2025, we may watch the destruction of retired America:
That’s why thousands of Americans like you are fighting for everything they worked for. But they’re not doing it alone. Many of them are applying for an IRS-sanctioned provision to help protect and preserve their retirement from a fiscal crisis like this.
This provision was greenlit decades ago, used as a “what if” protection plan by Americans with $50-100k or more in savings. And it served them well, through the Financial Crises of 2000, 2008, and 2020. But it’s not a matter of “what if” anymore — it’s a matter of WHEN. And right now, you can get a no-cost guide that walks you through exactly how this helps protect your savings. If you’re looking for a sign, then this is it. Don’t wait. Click below.
➤ Fairview: Residents filed a lawsuit Friday challenging a permit allowing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to build a 120-foot-tall temple. The lawsuit alleges the town council’s 5-2 vote in April was not legal. (More)
➤ Waxahachie: Fourteen train cars overturned after derailing late Monday. No injuries or hazardous spills were reported, but officials have provided no timeline for when the tracks will be cleared. (Watch Video)
➤ Austin: Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson identified 33 potential noncitizens who voted in the November 2024 elections. The list of names was provided to the attorney general’s office for investigation. (More)
➤ Fredericksburg: A hiker who suffered a traumatic injury at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area was rescued on Sunday by emergency personnel using a helicopter. (Watch Video)
➤ New Braunfels: Marcel Moreno, a 25-year-old U.S. Army recruiter, was arrested for alleged inappropriate contact with at least three underage high school students in the area. (See Details)
➤ Bee Cave: The city’s police received a waiver from the FAA to operate autonomous drones. “It’s exciting for us because we’re at the forefront of applying this technology to law enforcement and emergency response,” Chief Brian Jones said. (More)
➤ Corpus Christi: A prolonged drought has caused Lake Corpus Christi to fall below 18% capacity, revealing bridges, boathouses, and other structures dating back to the 1930s. (Watch Video)
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➤ The Houston Texans signed former All-Pro running back Nick Chubb to a one-year deal worth up to $5 million. (More)
➤ Texas Tech’s football general manager described the school’s new $250 million training facility as a “football resort” in a recent interview. (More)
➤ Texas basketball will play Duke in the first-ever Dick Vitale Invitational. The game is scheduled for Nov. 4 in Charlotte. (More)
➤ ESPN announced that last weekend’s Women’s College World Series finale between Texas Tech and Texas drew 2.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched softball game in NCAA history. (More)
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➤ U.S. News & World Report included 30 Texas companies in its annual list of the best companies to work for. Dell, H-E-B, Chevron, and Yeti were among those recognized. (More)
➤ Meanwhile, Texas employees are the third-unhappiest in the nation, according to a recent study that examined wage fairness, paid time off, healthcare costs, and average weekly work hours. (More)
➤ East Texas has become a popular destination for powersports and boasts an increasing number of off-road parks. Sabine ATV Park in Burkeville hosts the HigHLifter Mud Nationals every March. (See Details)
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August 1st: Will The Checks Stop?
August2025—possibly as soon as the 1st—we may be facing:
Delayed Social Security checks
Pension checks frozen or reduced
Diversified retirement accounts dropping 50%
All because of the wild incompetence of the government swamp creatures who dropped us into this godforsaken mess.
So what can you do to stop it?
Thousands of Americans are using a little-known IRS-approved loophole to help protect their retirement. Get the guide now, before another “crisis” puts you against the wall.
➤ Jody Grant, the 86-year-old chairman emeritus of Texas Capital Bank, surprised his wife, Sheila, with a hardback copy of a spy thriller she wrote in the 1960s but never published. Jody found the manuscript last year while cleaning out the couple’s attic. (See Details)
➤ Houston quadruplets Cameron, Kennedy, Madison, and Austin Tran recently graduated from high school and are heading to college in the fall. “To us, our lives just feel normal, but to everyone else, it’s fascinating,” said Cameron. (See Photos)
➤ Denton and Madalyn Bassett of Temple recently celebrated 75 years of marriage after meeting at Baylor University in the 1940s. (More)
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Anti-ICE Protesters Arrested in Austin, Dallas
